The Unknown Prophecy
by Rosalie Crisp
Summary: The clans long after all the original clan cats died, and the story of Thunderclan.
1. Chapter 1

_SNAP!_ Airkit whirled around to find her much larger brother, Dripkit, padding along the path. "Could you be any louder?"

"Well not everybody is the size of a flea" he retorted. "You could have chosen a bigger path."

"Well you weren't complaining at the camp!"

"That's because the trail wasn't this small!"

"Well, just be quiet or we'll attract all of the patrol from here to sun-drown place!"

This successfully got him to quiet down. A second later, Airkit pricked he ears and flattened herself to the ground. She motioned for Dripkit to do the same. They both opened their mouths to smell. "Yuck! Do you know what that smell is?" Dripkit meowed.

"I don't know, but I've smelled it on Shadowcall after the gatherings before."

"Good nose, Airpaw, but why are you out here?" Dripkit and Airkit whirled around to see Leafpaw and his mentor, Stickpelt, slide up.

They hung their heads shamefully and answered. "We were just exploring the territory! We will be apprentices tomorrow!"

"Yes, But not yet." Mewed Stickpelt. "You aren't allowed out until you are apprentices."

"I'm sorry!" Wailed Dripkit "This won't affect our ceremony will it?"

"I don't know. That's up to Sparkstar. But we should get you to back to camp before we all get in trouble"

As the four cats padded into the camp, they were immediately swarmed by Dripkit and Airkit's littermate, Shadekit, and their parents, Shadowcall who is the deputy, and Robinwing.

"Where were you? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did any other clans attack you? You smell like Shadowclan, did you trespass by accident? What were you to thinking?" They were instantly bombarded by questions. Before they could even answer, they were covered in a shower of licks.

"Robinwing! Stop! I need to talk to our kits" Shadowcall ordered. "Airkit, Dripkit, join Sparkstar and I by the old beech tree." They padded after the gray tom with their heads bowed. _We just wanted to explore! It's not like we were trespassing, and now our apprentice ceremony will probably be delayed._

"You kits are almost apprentices. You know you aren't allowed out of camp." Sparkstar started. "If you can't even follow these simple rules, how do we know you are ready to become an apprentice?" He paused for a second, then continued. "Well I guess we will find out. I decided not to delay your ceremony. In fact, I decided to move it to today. With the threat of Riverclan, we need as many fighters as possible, and must start training our young cats. It will be held at sunhigh."

As the yellow leader padded away, Robinwing came over and started to wash them, for she was listening to the conversation.

Shadekit, Airkit, and Dripkit all sat by each other, with the sun gleaming on their freshly groomed pelts, waiting for the ceremony to start. Their future mentors, though they didn't know who they are, could probably guess. Blossommoon was talking excitedly to Ravencry. Iceclaw was pacing from anticipation, and they all knew that Shadekit was going to train as a medicine cat, so that explained why Whitewillow was practically bursting with excitement.

"Let all the cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the highledge for a clan meeting!" _Wow! This is my first clan meeting! _Thought Airkit. Most of the cats were already in te clearing, but the call brought the elders out of their den and froze Leafpaw and Creekpaw who were in the middle of play-fighting. "We are gathered here today to do one of the most important ceremonies a clan leader can do-the naming of new apprentices. Three of our kits have recently turned six moons old. Please step forward." Shadekit walked up calmly, while Airkit, barley containing herself, did a little jump. Dripkit, however, ran up and tripped over his own paws. When the three of them were standing in a line, Sparkstar jumped down from the highledge. "Dripkit please step forward. From this day until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Drippaw. Blossommoon will be your mentor. Blossommoon, you are very young, but I hope you will use all of your energy and strength to teach Drippaw." They touched noses and walked back to their places.

"Airkit please step forward. From this day forward until you own your warrior name, you will be known as Airpaw. Iceclaw, please step forward. You will be Airpaw's mentor. I trust you to pass on you strength and your loyalty." They touched noses and stepped back.

"And last of all Shadekit, please step forward. From this moment until you earn your full name, you will be known as Shadepaw. You have chosen the path of a medicine cat over a warrior. Whitewillow will be your mentor. Whitewillow, I trust you to pass on all of your knowledge and compassion." They touched noses and stepped back.

The clan took up the cheer, "Drippaw, Airpaw, Shadepaw!" "I can't believe it!" Mewed Airpaw. "We're finally apprentices!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about any grammer or spelling mistakes, I kind of rushed. Reviews are awesome! so keep that in mind. :P**

Airpaw bounded up to her new mentor, Iceclaw. "So what are we going to do first?"

"Well, I decided that since no one is cleaning the elders' den and it hasn't been cleaned for a quarter moon, that you will clean it." Airpaw's heart fell to her paws. "Can't we do something fun? Like tour the forest with Drippaw and Blossommoon?"

"No. Go clean the den. You can get moss from the medicine den. When you're done, you can check the elders for fleas and ticks, so ask Whitewillow for some mouse bile."

Airpaw reluctantly shuffled away, muttering to herself. She entered the elders den, and only Mintheart was in there, her tortoishelled flank rising and falling with sleep._ I'll do her nest later. No use in waking her up._ She cleaned out all of the soiled bedding into a pile near the den. When she was done with that, she took it and dropped it in the forest. On her way back into the camp, she stopped at Whitewillow's den for the moss.

"Hi Airpaw! How is you first day as an apprentice?" Meowed a very excited Shadepaw. "Mine is going so well! I already have my nest set up next to Whitewillow's and she showed me the best place to get catmint, since leaf-bare is coming. When we took some back, I almost chewed on a leaf because it smells so good, but I didn't because every leaf is precious." Shadepaw finished, panting a little bit.

"Wow. Sounds like your first day is going well. I'm cleaning out the elders den, then I get to search them for fleas and ticks. But anyway, I need some moss."

"Okay. It's right through there." Shadepaw replied, flicking her smoky tail.

Airpaw entered the den to find a little pool in one of the corners, surrounded by a large stock of moss. Whitewillow's scent mixed with herbs drifted from a tunnel, next to her and Shadepaw's nest. She gathered a large moss ball and carried it back to the elders den. By the time Airpaw got back, the other two elders, Sparrowtail and Dustclaw, returned.

"Thank goodness your back! I came and wanted to take a nap but my nest wasn't there!" complained Sparrowtail, the oldest of all the elders. Mintheart was also awake now, so when Airpaw finished setting up the new nests, she cleaned Mintheart's and brought in some more new moss. "Okay, now I have to check you for fleas and ticks."

"Wow first day, and you already have to groom us! That Iceclaw sure is a strict mentor. Well, go and get some mouse bile from Whitewillow, I don't want any tick heads stuck on me."

"Whitewillow!" Called Airpaw "I need some mouse bile!"

"Oh perfect! Shadepaw come here! This is something that you will need to know." Whitewillow called. "It is a very common skill. Airpaw, can you get a mouse from the fresh-kill pile?"

"Sure" When she came back, Whitewillow had finished extracting it from another mouse and gave it to Airpaw. "Okay, that's how you do it! Now you can try on this mouse, Shadepaw" Meowed Whitewillow, Gesturing to the small mouse Airpaw brought. Airpaw left her sister and took the foul bile-soaked moss.

Back at the elders den, she started going through Dustclaw's fur. As she crunched a flea with her teeth, Sparrowtail somehow got on the topic of Firestar, one of the old and legendary leaders. "Can you tell me the story of Firestar?" Asked Airpaw. "I've never heard it before."

"Okay, if you want. Firestar, he was a great cat. His coat was like a flame in the sun, and he is legendary, of course. He was a kittypet until he was six moons old, but was invited into the clan by Bluestar. Which of his stories would you like to hear about the most?"

" Oh, er, the one about the cats from the Dark Forest."

"Well, me, being this old, remember the story quite well. My mothers mother actually fought in it. She was also a spy for the living cats. Her name was Ivypool. But her story is for another day. Anyway, Firestar's old enemy, Tigerstar, was leading the cats of the Dark Forest against the clan cats and Starclan. They had recruited some cats from around the lake, but most of the living cats were still loyal to their clans. Firestar got a prophecy that said "There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the starts in their paws." He thought that the three were his daughter's, Leafpool, three kits, but he was wrong. Leafpool's three kits were Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze, But only two, Lionblaze and Jayfeather were in the prophecy. The third cat was Dovewing, his nephew's daughter's daughter. Dovewing's sister was Ivypool, but I never met her. She died giving birth to her only litter of kits."

" Anyway, Dovewing, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather were the Three. But Firestar got another prophecy. I don't remember the exact words, but it was about three becoming four. Ivypool was the Four. She was being trained in the Dark Forest, and became a spy for the clans. During the actual battle, she had to face cats she was training with. Firestar, being the main enemy of the leader of the Dark Forest, was in the last battle. It was Hawkfrost fighting Ivypool. Tigerstar came in to finish her, but Firestar sacrificed himself, losing his last life. Then Brambleclaw, the deputy and also the son of Tigerstar, became the new leader. Thunderclan lost many good cats that day. There was Firestar, Hollyleaf, Ferncloud, and Mousefur, who all willingly died to protect their clan. I don't know all the cats in the other clans that died that day, but it was one of the only times the clans remember fighting together, besides the battle with Scourge, in which the clans were also united by Firestar. He was a great leader and left many stories, but that was Firestar's last battle."

"Wow. That was a great story"

"Get yourself some fresh-kill, you worked hard today. But don't lick your paws, wash them in a puddle or stream." With that, Airpaw turned and headed out of the den.

Once she washed her paws, she spotted Shadepaw and Creekpaw eating by the apprentices den. She grabbed a thrush and joined them. "So how was your fist day as an apprentice?" Creekpaw asked. "Iceclaw had her cleaning and grooming the elders all day." Replied Shadepaw. "Tough luck. His apprentice usually gets that task the most often. But don't worry" he leaned in and whispered to Airpaw "They get a lot more training. Ravencry was his apprentice to. She was drilled all day and night, and is now the best hunter in the clan, and one of the best fighters."

"Oh boy. So my mentor is one of those."

"Yeah. I guess so. Hey, when do you think Twig and Lilac will become official warriors? Acornnose and Nutpelt just became warriors. If their kits are warriors, they should be to." "Yeah. What do you think a good name will be for them? I think Twigpelt. But I can't think of a good one for Lilac. Maybe Lilacheart or Lilacstorm." Airpaw mewed.

"I think maybe Twig could be Twigclaw. Sounds dangerous." Shadepaw put in.

"I think that it will be Twigpelt. The name just flows nicer then Twigclaw." Creekpaw said.

"Here comes Drippaw!" Airpaw said, motioning for him to join them.

"Hey. You'll never believe what I got to do today! Blossommoon is the best mentor. She me to the lake, then to the Windclan border, since we already saw the Shadowclan border. Then, she showed me the training hollow, and she showed me a basic move. I have more training then you! But what did you do?" He asked Airpaw.

"Iceclaw had her taking care of the elders." Whispered Creekpaw.

"Wow, you guys really don't like me answering do you?" Meowed Airpaw, a little annoyed. If everyone was just going to laugh at her, then she would just go to sleep! She got up and stalked into the den. Leafpaw motioned her to two new nests. She circled one of them, sat down and closed her eyes. At least I'm an apprentice now, she thought. And with that, she fell into a dark, dreamless sleep.

Airpaw awoke to Iceclaw calling her. She stretched and got out of her nest. Once outside, the cold dawn air of late leaf-fall stung her nose as she met him by the entrance.

"Today," he said, turning around, "I am going to teach you how to climb. Before you list reasons you can't, you can. So lets go." He turned and whisked away, leaving Airpaw to chase his icy tail.


	3. Chapter 3

**I hope you enjoy! My grammar and spell check isn't working so please excuse any errors. Reviews are welcomed!**

**Also you can PM or put in a review what you think any of the apprentices in any of the clans name should be! But don't do the avaerage claw or nose or fur. Something creative! **

Airpaw chased after her mentor, crashing through brambles and scaring every piece of prey in Thunderclan territory. She was happy her Iceclaw's whole body was white, otherwise she would have gotten lost. After running for what seemed like ages, she reached a large old oak tree near the beach. "This si the ancient oak. You are going to climb to the top."

"Today?" Airpaw gasped "But this is the biggest tree in the territory! I was just apprenticed yesterday!"

"Yes. And before we start to hunt and fight, I was you to climb. If you can climb to the top of this tree, you will be confident, more agile, have better balance, more endurance, and more strength. Being so small, you could use it. Of course, you will learn basic fighting skills, in case the need comes before you climb. So lets start." He easily jumped up to the first, low branch. Airpaw tried to jump, but, being small, she couldn't reach it, still about a tail-length below the branch. "That was a good jump," Iceclaw said, jumping down from the branch "But it's obvious you can't reach it."

Airpaw, hurt by his words, quickly replied. "I can try just climbing the trunk!" She promptly took a flying leap at the tree, trying to dig her claws in the bark. Failing to find a good paw-hold, she slid down followed by a shower of bark scraps.

"No, Airpaw. Look where you leaped. On this side, the only paw-hold is this one" Iceclaw said, flicking his ears. "On this side," he said, circling the tree, " There are many paw-holds. You need to use them if you can't reach a branch. You go up first and I'll help you."

Airpaw examined te tree. Taking a deep breath, she leaped two tail-lengths to the paw-hold she decided on. Reaching for one just above her head, she pulled herself up. Finding another one by her stomach, she pulled her hind leg up and pushed. "Try to jump to the branch now!" Iceclaw hollered from below.

Flicking her tail to show she heard, she bunched her legs as much as she could and leaped. Her front claws scored the branch, and she managed to hoist herself up. She turned to Iceclaw, proud, but panting from the effort. A second later he joined her. "Good job!" Iceclaw said, and Airpaw sat up a little straighter, warmed by his praise.

"Once we get back to camp, I have a surprise for you. But for now, this is as high as we will go today. Each day you will go higher and higher, getting stronger and more agile, until you can reach the top. But as we know, you can't stay in a tree forever, so you need to come down. From here, you can just jump down, but at the top you can't. So, go to the edge of the branch and grab that knothole by the base."

Airpaw did as he said. Legs trembling, she followed his careful instructions down to the base of the tree. She pushed off, twisted, and landed at her mentors feet. "You have done well today, Airpaw." Iceclaw muttered as he turned around and pushed back into the foliage. Airpaw raced after him. As she caught up, she couldn't help but be excited, questioning her mentor about everything on the way back to camp.

"Is being a warrior fun?"

"Yes"

"You get to sleep in the middle of the den with Shadowcall, right?"

"Yep"

"What are the gatherings like? What else are we going to do today?"

"Well, today you and you litter-mates are going to go to the gathering, so when we get back to camp, eat some fresh kill and go rest. You'll have long night ahead of you." Airpaw ran ahead, excited by the news.

"Leafpaw, guess what?" Airpaw screeched, swarming to the first cat she saw in the camp. "I get to go to the gathering!"

"That's great! I think that all the apprentices are going."

Airpaw and Leafpaw shared a scrawny mouse, because leaf-bare was approaching and prey was turning scarce, and then gossiped. Eventually he asked about Airpaw's training. "So what did Iceclaw have you do today? Gather moss?" He asked, hiding laughter. Leafpaw obviously heard about her training yesterday.

"Actually, I learned to climb. He said he was going to teach me to climb to the top of the ancient oak before fighting and hunting. But I'm going to learn some basic fighting, just in case."

"Well, I can teach you a basic move. It's called "Claw and Retreat" You run up, take a swipe or nip at their legs or body and run past. Repeat until they give chase. Lead the to a warrior if they are to big. Stand there." Leafpaw motioned with his tail. "I'll stand here. Now dart in, nip or claw me, and run before I can catch you."

Airpaw stood, looking at him for a second, looking at the log behind him. An idea formed in her head. She ran, leaped over him, landed, nipped his hind leg, and ran away before he could reach her. He darted toward her, and she darted around him, nipping his tail lightly.

"Are you sure Iceclaw didn't teach you anything?" Leafpaw asked, catching his breath. "Because that was pretty good."

"No, it was all instinct!" Airpaw announced proudly. _Now I at least have some training!_

"Well, then you have good instinct. Lets rest until the gathering. It's going to be a late night!"

That night, Sparkstar was ready to lead the patrol cats to the island. The cats that were coming were Shadowcall, Blossommoon, Acornnose, Beewing, Iceclaw, Twig, Rootwing, Whitewillow, Goldensand, Stickpelt, Creekpaw, Leafpaw, Drippaw, Airpaw, Shadepaw, and Treepaw. Lilac followed her kits, Dawnkit and Nightkit to the gathering cats. "We want to come, we want to come!" They squeaked in excited voices.

"You can't go until you are apprenticed!" Lilac called, exasperated. "And that's not for three moons!"

"I'm about as big as Airpaw!" Nightkit called loudly, straightening his shoulders.

"That makes no difference! You can't leave the camp until you are apprentices!"

A moment later, Ravencry came and help Lilac herd them back to the nursery. Sparkstar let out the call to leave, and they plunged out of the camp. Airpaw and Treepaw ran side by side. She had trouble keeping up with everyone because of her small size. Iceclaw dropped back by her side as they neared the Windclan border. "You're going to need to really jump hard at the stream to make it over" He said, then bolted away. She could see him jump. Then came her turn. She put on a burst of speed, and leaped as far as she could. Airpaw landed on the other side, teetering, until Iceclaw grabbed her scruff, then they were off again.

Sparkstar was careful to be within the shoreline, and eventually they met up with the Windclan cats. He murmured hello to Robinstar and started off again. They ran along the shore for a while, until Airpaw could see something in the distance. "That's the tree-bridge" Leafpaw whispered. "Be careful when you cross it, it's slippery."

They cleared the rest of the distance. The Windclan cats went up first, followed by the Thunderclan warriors. Drippaw and Shadepaw were helped by their mentors, and when it was Airpaw's turn, Leafpaw went, then she jumped up. She slid her claws into the smooth wood and slowly worked her way across the tree. She was dodging some of the branches, and slipped. Just as a yell escaped Airpaw's throat, Iceclaw grabbed her scruff and pulled her back up. Once she had her balance back, she took a step and leaped the rest of the way to the ground. "You did it!" Leafpaw congratulated her. Then he turned around and Airpaw followed him through the undergrowth.

They came to a clearing with a large tree in the middle. She followed Leafpaw over to a group of other apprentices. Treepaw was there, and he introduced Airpaw to the other cats. "Everyone, this is Airpaw he said, motioning with his ears. This is Loosepaw and Tinypaw from Windclan, Mallowpaw and Rainpaw from Shadowclan, and Lilypaw, Graypaw, and Stonepaw from Riverclan. The only other apprentices are from our clan, so now you know all of them."

"You're rather small, aren't you? Are you sure you are six moons?" asked the Windclan apprentice, Tinypaw. "I'm supposed to be small, but I feel huge compared to you!"

"I'm just small-" Airpaw started to say, but was cut off by a yowl from the tree. "Let the gathering begin!" Yowled Willowstar, the Riverclan leader. "Prey is running well, despite the coming of leaf-bare" She reported. Then stepped back and let Robinstar take her place. "Things are well in Windclan also. We have a new warrior, Stormnose." The clans took up the cheer. "The rabbits are becoming scarce on the moorland, but we can still find enough food." Then she also stepped back.

At last, Sparkstar stepped forward. "Like Riverclan, we can still find plenty of prey, despite the cold temperature. We also have three new apprentices, Airpaw, Drippaw, and Shadepaw, who decided to pursue the path of a medicine cat." The clans took up the cheer. Airpaw straightened her back as much as possible. "Thunderclan has nothing more to report."

Then Mudstar, stepped forward. "Shadowclan is also finding prey," he started "Besides the fact that Thunderclan is stealing! Thunderclan are prey-stealers!"


End file.
